Question 058: What is the goal of playing with a clear mind?

Answer

Answer

▶ Not 'for others' but 'for oneself'

Many people may be operating under the value system of 'if you're going to do it, you must aim for something.'
That's why they worry, or things don't go well, even more so.


Because when you aim for something, it becomes harder to focus on the 'now.' Just because you work, it doesn't necessarily mean you have to become rich, attain a high position, or be useful to others.
I myself do not run this Tennis Improvement Laboratory 'Tennis Zero'


thinking it is 'for others,' but rather 'for myself.' If you focus on the work itself and feel a sense of fulfillment, I think that is when you can get closest to a state of high performance, and as a result, the possibility of achieving the goals mentioned earlier also increases.As I mention here,



just because someone bows to the court doesn't mean they will get better or stronger at tennis.

▶ Beware of 'stray thoughts'

Of course, it's fine to have the ambition to win.

But once the play starts, trying not to let it cross your mind is a procedure for focusing.

Especially in something like tennis, which involves repeating very delicate tasks that require timing accuracy of a fraction of a second, even a slight distraction (the desire to win), if transmitted to your hands and fingers, will immediately show up as an error.

It may be true that the desire to win is the driving force for working hard.

But it is also true that tennis is not something you can win just by trying hard.
Rather, if you are conscious of 'wanting to win' during play, thoughts will start to stray from there, and it becomes easy for various thoughts to swirl, such as 'I'm two points away from victory!', 'Should I play it safe here?', or 'I made a mistake at a crucial moment. Oh well,' so you need to be careful.

▶ 'Winning jitters' lead to 'self-destruction'

Isn't the example of 'winning jitters,' where winning is realistically conscious, the prime example of this (Reference article: Novotna's tears).

For example, suppose there is a baseball pitcher who is in the middle of a no-hitter.

They are on a roll, and as long as they don't realize it themselves (that they are in the middle of a no-hitter), they are 'clear-minded.'

They are not thinking at all about 'getting them out!' or 'achieving a no-hitter!'

However, if something triggers them to realize they are in the middle of a no-hitter, or if a teammate makes them aware of it, they become 'conscious' of it, and there are many cases where it ends.

In short, it is 'self-destruction'.

▶ 'Enjoying' the play is the best (Example of Federer)

It is best to be able to enjoy the play itself, forgetting about winning and losing, not just on the surface, but truly disregarding it.

To talk about this episode, I always introduce this video, which is very symbolic.

https://youtu.be/njvK_EII2GI

Roger Federer, who tries to continue the match even though Kei Nishikori's shot hit the net and the umpire called game set.

He must not have been concerned at all about the count during the play leading up to the match point.

A transcendent concentration where the umpire's judgment and the cheers of the audience no longer reached his ears.

When he realized that the match was already over, he returned from the 'zone' to his normal state of consciousness.


The way he brushes off both hands with a slightly embarrassed look is playful (laughs).

▶ 'Argument for abolishing self-judgment'

I often advocate for the abolition of self-judging.

Admittedly, under current circumstances, there are limitations in securing personnel, so it might be difficult to abolish it, but as long as players are self-judging, they inevitably have to keep track of points and counts.

That will certainly become a definite trigger for being conscious of winning or losing.

Of course, there must be situations where one has no choice but to count points and games for the sake of tactics and strategy against an opponent.

However, it is counterproductive to have your concentration on the ball disrupted by being too 'conscious' of points and counts.

Especially for junior players, I want them to play freely without being caught up in points and counts.

It is best to entrust all authority for points and counts to an umpire, forget everything ( this is what I mean by disregarding), just focus on the ball, and let your body move naturally as you play.

Yes, just like Federer in that video.

▶ A miraculous comeback can happen!

'I'm going to win!'

'I'm going to throw a no-hitter!'

Before entering the match, if you have those feelings, they might be a driving force to increase your motivation to work hard.

But you want to be careful not to let those thoughts become too strong to control, so that you don't drag them into your thinking while you are playing (spillover of thoughts).

The moment you become 'conscious' of it, you might end up like a pitcher whose no-hitter, which had been going until just a moment ago, is broken.

It is true that when the game count reaches 0-5, it is easy to start giving up.

If things go poorly, there might even be players who half-give up just because the points reach 0-40.

However, a player who disregards points and counts can make a comeback from here.

https://youtu.be/VzvfAI1y9pU

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